Basketball coach facing driving citations

Northern Lehigh High School boys basketball coach Richard Oertner will be cited with two driving offenses for allegedly transporting one of his players on the roof of his vehicle last month, Slatington Police Chief David Rachman said Tuesday.

Oertner, who is facing possible termination as head coach, was driving north on Shadow Oak Lane, near the district administration building, on July 28 when Superintendent Michael Michaels and school board members spotted the unidentified player on top of his coach's vehicle, Rachman said.

Michaels yelled at Oertner to stop, but the coach kept driving, Rachman said. Michaels later reported the incident to police.

Rachman said Oertner will be cited for careless driving and unauthorized persons hanging on a vehicle.

Michaels' secretary said he was in meetings Tuesday afternoon, and he did return a call seeking comment. Oertner did not respond to a voice message or an e-mail.

The school board had planned to vote on whether to fire Oertner at its Aug. 9 meeting but tabled the item because an investigation was ongoing.

Oertner said at the meeting that he transported a player inappropriately but declined to offer further details. He said he cares too much about the players to simply resign.

"I wish I could take it back," he told the school board. "But I can't."

About 10 basketball players and a group of parents attended the meeting and senior player Michael Hofmann Jr. told the board he wants to address members before they vote at a future meeting. Hofmann declined comment after the meeting, and Michaels missed the meeting because of a death in the family.

Oertner was a 1,000-point scorer for Slatington High School in the 1970s and graduated as the school's all-time leading rebounder. He took over the former powerhouse program in 2000 after the Bulldogs missed the district playoffs for the eighth straight season.

Last year's team won in triple-overtime to capture Northern Lehigh's third Colonial League title in four years. Oertner's Bulldogs also won the 2007-08 District 11 2A championship.

Board president Edward Hartman said after the August meeting that he hoped the board could vote on Oertner's job status at its Sept. 13 meeting.

adam.clark@mcall.com

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IN THE DOGHOUSE

• What: Police say Northern Lehigh basketball coach Richard Oertner allegedly drove July 28 with a teenage boy on the roof of his car. He will be cited with summary motor vehicle violations of careless driving and unauthorized persons hanging on vehicles, police said.

• Reaction: The school board had planned to vote on whether to fire Oertner at its August meeting but tabled the item while police investigated.

• What's next: The school board's next scheduled meeting is at 7:30 p.m. September 13.